English Criminal Justice

This short film, directed by Ken Annakin, discusses then current court procedures in the United Kingdom.

It is co-written by Annakin and R. F. Delderfield (his first known writing for the movies). Although it shows the English court in action, it is populated with performers. Some of them are well known, like Ian Fleming and Ferdy Mayne. Some are less well remembered. It is remarkably similar to current American court procedure, although a lot more formal and stylized, with several procedures going back hundreds of years. Although the powdered horsehair wigs have largely disappeared, and the the style of dress ha been modernized, the basics of the trial remain largely unchanged.